Junior Market end of quarter rally

Stocks jumped higher for the week to close out the month fractionally higher than in May after a 5.2 percent surge in the final week of June and the second quarter of the year on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended Friday, but still closed the half year 0.01 percent lower than the close of 2023, with trading in 41 securities compared with 43 on Thursday and ending with prices of 23 rising, 13 declining and five unchanged.
The market closed with a 159 percent jump in the volume of stocks traded, with a 26 percent rise in value over Thursday with trading of 50,135,125 shares for $113,211,858 up from 19,386,471 units at $89,851,378 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 1,222,808 shares at $2,761,265 compared with 450,848 units at $2,089,567 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 318,732 units at $696,979 up from 271,027 stocks at $588,052 on the previous day and May with an average of 451,257 units at $953,021.
The five leading trades on Friday are, Dolla Financial leading with 11.33 million shares for 22.6 percent of total volume followed by Express Catering with 5.20 million units for 10.4 percent of the day’s trade, Omni Industries with 5.12 million units for 10.2 percent market share, Future Energy with 4.64 million units for 9.3 percent market share, Lasco Financial with 2.72 million units for 5.4 percent market share and Jetcon Corporation with 2.63 million units for 5.2 percent of total volume.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index gained 37.12 points to end trading at 3,843.23.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.3, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2025.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial climbed $1.18 to end at $21.93 in switching ownership of 2,505 stock shares, AMG Packaging popped 12 cents to $3.29, with 16,168 shares changing hands, Blue Power rallied 49 cents to finish at a 52 weeks’ high of $4.38 as 470,096 stocks passed through the market. Caribbean Assurance Brokers skidded 44 cents and ended at $3.31 in trading 5,953 units, Consolidated Bakeries increased 9 cents in closing at $1.98 with just 6 shares clearing the market, Derrimon Trading rose 7 cents to close at $2.27 with investors dealing in 111,331 stocks. Dolla Financial gained 58 cents to close at $3 in an exchange of 11,327,707 units, with the price hitting a 52 weeks’ intraday high of $3.05, before pulling back. Edufocal ended trading 2,187,391 at a 52 weeks’ closing low of 56 cents but traded as low as 51 cents as the price slipped by 2 cents at the close. Fosrich advanced 9 cents and ended at $2.39 in trading 2,582,919 stock units, Future Energy popped 40 cents in closing at $3.65 after a transfer of 4,638,302 shares. Honey Bun lost 12 cents to finish at $8.87 with investors swapping 23,909 units, Indies Pharma gained 14 cents to end at $2.79 after an exchange of 426,862 stocks, ISP Finance rose $4.99 to close at $29.95, with 10,795 stock units crossing the market. Knutsford Express dipped $1.47 to close at $10 with investors trading 106 shares, Lasco Financial rallied 25 cents to finish at $1.95 in an exchange of 2,723,094 units, Limners and Bards sank 12 cents and ended at $1.55 after 500 stocks changed hands. Main Event slipped 19 cents to close at $12.50 after an exchange of 510 stock units, Paramount Trading fell 16 cents in closing at $1.15, with 58,293 shares crossing the market, Regency Petroleum increased 16 cents to end at $2.45 with an exchange of 2,324,619 stock units. Spur Tree Spices shed 10 cents in closing at $2.30, with 276,471 stocks crossing the exchange and tTech declined 39 cents to $2.10 with traders dealing in 1,715 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.